Michael B. Jordan Has An Exciting New Project For HBO Max
Michael B. Jordan is channeling his star power into an epic project that will focus on the DC Comics character Val-Zod, an alternate Superman and one of two Black Supermans in the DC world. The news arrives courtesy of an exclusive report from Collider, which includes a number of exciting details about the project. What's currently known is that Jordan and his production company, Outlier Society, are behind the project that has been set up at HBO Max. Given that the project is set to go to streaming, this Black Superman-focused story could take the form of a movie or television show; this will likely be confirmed at a later date. A writer has been secured to pen the script for the project, but the writer's identity has not been revealed. Additionally, Jordan is set to produce the Val-Zod-focused project, but it's not clear if the "Black Panther" alum will star in it, too. The door seems open to that possibility, per Collider's verbiage in their report.
News of Jordan's Black Superman project emerges as the J.J. Abrams-produced "Superman" reboot that is set up at Warner Bros. gets on its feet. That particular project is also set to reveal Superman as a Black man (or rather, Black Kryptonian), but is expected to follow the Kal-El/Clark Kent narrative audiences know all too well. Ta-Nehisi Coates will pen the "Superman" reboot script and the project will be helmed by a Black director. No casting for the project has been announced, but Jordan's name was included in casting rumors that he promptly shot down during an April 2021 interview with MTV News (via ComicBook.com).
Michael B. Jordan will introduce audiences to a new version of Superman
According to Collider's exclusive report, Jordan's Black Superman project will focus on Val-Zod, a character DC Comics readers are more familiar with than DCEU audiences. That's because Val-Zod is a version of Superman from Earth 2 (via Fandom), making him a multiversal iteration of Kal-El, the Superman we've seen appear in numerous movies and TV shows over the decades.
In the comics, Val-Zod is one of the last surviving Kryptonians who managed to escape his home planet moments before it was destroyed. Val-Zod possesses similar abilities to the Kal-El/Clark Kent version of Superman, including heat vision, superhuman strength, flight, and cold breath. Of course, the other key similarity between Val-Zod and Kal-El is that they share a weakness to kryptonite.
Jordan's Black Superman project is still in the early stages of development at this time. The project likely won't get off the ground for at least another year or two, depending on Jordan's level of involvement, as well as his schedule. Currently, the actor and producer is preparing to make his directorial debut with "Creed III," which is set to start filming later this year.